Mop with a Flat Holder

ABSTRACT

The mop has a flat holder and a mop covering attached to the underside of the holder and projecting from an edge of the holder with an edge protection border. The mop can be wrung in a corresponding device. The wringing device has a first pressing element and a second pressing element, which traverse the holder with the mop covering and which squeeze the mop cover in order to wring it. One of the pressing elements continuously extends over the entire width of the mop covering perpendicular to the direction of movement of the holder. The other pressing element has two parts with a gap in between for allowing the passage of a handle joined to the holder. In the vicinity of the gap formed by the pressing element, the edge protection border is formed so that it does not absorb and dirt and/or moisture.

The invention relates to a mop with a flat holder and a mop coveringfastened to the underside of the holder and projecting from the edge ofthe holder with an edge protection border, which covering is designed sothat it can be wrung in a device provided for this purpose, which devicehas for this purpose a wringing device with a first pressing element anda second pressing element through which runs the holder with the mopcovering, and which squeeze the mop covering to wring it, one of thepressing elements extending continuously over the entire width of themop covering perpendicular to the direction of movement of the holder,whereas the other pressing element comprises two parts between whichthere exists a gap allowing a handle connected to the holder to passthrough transverse to the direction of movement.

WO 03/13586 discloses a mop and an associated device for cleaning andwringing, the mop being provided on its two longitudinal sides with aprojecting mop covering. This projection of the mop covering serves toprevent direct contact between the holder, which normally consists ofhard material, for example also of aluminium, with furniture and otherfitments, to avoid damage to them. For this purpose WO 03/13587 alsodiscloses an edge protection in the form of a rubber border fitted onthe narrow side.

Finally, DE 10256091 describes an autonomous wet cleaning device whichis provided only on the wide side with a projecting mop covering whereasa soft surface is provided as an edge protection on the narrow side.

With the aim of providing as comprehensive an edge protection aspossible it would also be desirable to allow the mop covering to projectfrom the narrow side. However, because of the gap provided for passingthrough the handle in one of the two pressing elements, no wringingwould then take place in the region of this gap.

The object of the invention is to provide the mop of the type alreadymentioned, in a particularly simple manner, both on the wide side andnarrow side with a projection of the mop covering acting as an edgeprotection, it being ensured that no residual dirt or undesirably highresidual moisture is present after cleaning and wringing of the mop,particularly in the region of the gap.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that the edgeprotection is formed in the region of the gap formed by one of pressingelements so that it cannot absorb dirt and/or moisture.

The advantage achieved by the invention consists essentially in the factthat mopping can be carried out by the projecting mop covering on thenarrow side on the one hand, and also with the narrow side alongfurniture edges and other objects of installation, close to the edgewithout coming into contact with the holder. In particular, thisprovides a structure that is more simply designed since no separaterubber edge or similar is required. The mop covering can be cleaned andwrung in the cleaning and wringing stations of prior art withoutmodification.

According to a first advantageous design of the invention the edgeprotection edge has a recess formed by a recess formed from a groove inthe region of the gap. This recess impairs neither the cleaningperformance of the mop covering nor the efficiency of the edgeprotection aimed for to any noticeable degree since gap is smallcompared with the narrow side of the holder.

According to a further embodiment of the invention the edge protectionborder is provided with a dirt and moisture repelling coating in theregion of the gap. This variant is therefore provided with complete edgeprotection, whilst only the cleaning performance is minimally reduceddue to the dirt and moisture repelling coating.

As a further possibility it is also proposed, within the scope of theinvention, that the edge protection border be formed in the region ofthe gap by a material that is sufficiently soft and is either dirt ormoisture repelling itself or is provided with a dirt or moisturerepelling substance. This design also provides complete all-round edgeprotection.

In order to ensure, when cleaning and wringing the mop in a suitable wetcleaning device, that the projection on the edge side runs safely andsmoothly into the wringing device, it is recommended that a stabilisingmeans is provided for stiffening the edge protection border. Thisstabilising means may in principle consist of any material suitable forthis purpose. In a particular simple design and hence one that ispreferred within the scope of the invention, provision is made for thefleece provided for a Velcro strip between the mop covering and theholder on the mop covering, as stabilising means, to project into theedge protection border. Due to the use of the fleece required in anycase for the fastening, the use of additional materials can therefore bedispensed with.

The invention is explained in more detail in the following by way ofexemplary embodiments shown in the drawing, in which

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic side view of a device for wringing a moptogether with a mop for use with the device, as an exemplary embodiment,

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged partial view of the device according to FIG. 1from the front, together with the mop,

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the device according to FIG. 1, when thedevice is operated for wetting and wringing the mop,

FIG. 4 shows a mop consisting of a holder and mop covering, with edgeprotection, according to the state of the art, in partial figure a inelevation, in partial figure b in longitudinal section, and in partialfigure c between the rolls of the wringing device,

FIG. 5 shows a mop according to the invention in a representationcorresponding to FIG. 4, and

FIG. 6 shows an alternative design of the mop in the representationaccording to FIG. 4.

FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically, as an exemplary embodiment, a device 104for wetting a mop 101, which device is operated manually. Mop 101 isprovided with a holder 102 fastened to a handle 118 for holding a mopcovering 103. Mop covering 103 is flexible and absorbent so that it canbe wetted to clean floors with a cleaning fluid, in particular.

For the purpose of setting, mop 101 is guided in the direction of thearrow by device 104, by means of a guide 113 which has the individualguiding elements in the form of horizontally arranged plates. Here guide113 guides holder 102 horizontally along a horizontal path of movementbeyond a nozzle 112. Nozzle 112 is connected by a fluid line 11 to apump 108 which is arranged underneath the floor of a container 105,which forms the base of device 104. A cleaning fluid 106, which can besucked in from pump 108 via an inlet filter 107 and pumped through pipe11 to nozzle 112, is present in container 105. Fluid 106 can be sprayedthrough nozzle 112 from below against mop covering 103 of mop 101.

A sensor 114 is provided in guide 113, for example in the form of aswitch which detects the presence of holder 102 in guide 113. As soon asholder 102 is inserted in guide 113, and this has been detected bysensor 114, a control system, not shown, actuates pump 108 so that fluid106 is sprayed upwards through nozzle 112. At the same time a motordriven drive roll 110, arranged underneath the path of movement, is alsoactuated. Two counter-rolls 109, which are arranged coaxially in respectof one another and are rotatable about an axis of rotation runningparallel to the axis of rotation of drive roll 110, are arranged on theside of the path of movement opposite drive roll 110. Holder 102 can bepulled between drive roll 110 and counter-rolls 109 together with mopcovering 103.

The distance between drive roll 110 and counter-rolls 109 is dimensionedso that holder 102, with mop covering 103, is in frictional contact withrolls 109, 110, so that it can be detected and driven.

Drive roll 110 extends throughout the width of mop covering 103perpendicular to the direction of drive, so that it bears against mopcovering 103 at the bottom throughout the width. Both counter-rolls 109are each arranged so that they are arranged over the edges of holder 102and mop covering 103 in the width extension of holder 102 and leave aninterval between them. The interval between rolls 109 serves to guidethrough handle 118 of the mop.

FIG. 2 shows the upper part of device 104 together with the lower partof mop 101, viewed from the front. In this representation it can be seenthat counter-rolls 109 each consist of two cylindrical sections 119, 120arranged concentrically relative to each other, which sections havedifferent diameters. The smaller cylindrical sections 119 are arrangedon the inside and the larger cylindrical sections 120 are arranged onthe outside. Consequently the gap between drive roll 110 and largercylindrical sections 120 on the outside is smaller than that betweendrive roll 110 and the smaller cylindrical sections 119. Drive roll 110is also connected to a motor 116 for driving in the direction ofrotation.

In FIG. 2 it can also be seen that mop covering 103 is wider in thedirection of movement than holder 102, and projects from the sides ofholder 102. The edges of mop covering 103 projecting from both sidesform a cushion here for holder 102, which also serves as protection fromdamage to other objects by holder 102, e.g. furniture. Since holder 102must be able to transmit force for squeezing out mop covering 103,holder 102 is preferably produced from a stiff material such as a metal,so that holder 102 could quite possibly damage other objects on contact.For this reason a projecting mop covering 103 is particularlyadvantageous as protection.

So that the projecting parts of mop covering 103 can also be squeezedout, the smaller cylindrical sections 119 on the inside are dimensionedso that they are able to squeeze out holder 102 together with theunderlying part of mop covering 103 on drive roll 110, and the largercylindrical sections 120 are dimensioned so that they are able tosqueeze out the edges of mop covering 103 on drive roll 110 projectinglaterally over holder 102. For this purpose the height of the largercylindrical sections 120 in the axial direction is at least equal to thewidth of the projecting edge of mop covering 103 and the diameter of thelarger cylindrical sections 120, together with the distance between theaxes, for counter-rolls 109 and drive roll 110, is chosen so that theprojecting edge of mop covering 103 can be compressed in between.

In the case of the smaller cylindrical sections 119 arranged inside, itis only necessary for them to bear against holder 102 and press itagainst drive roll 110 in order to be able to squeeze out the part ofmop covering 103 covered by holder 102. An interruption or a gap isprovided between the two smaller cylindrical sections 119 for guidingthrough handle 118. The narrower the gap the more difficult it is toguide through handle 118. Conversely, the surface with which the smallercylindrical sections 119 press against holder 102 increased as the gapbecomes narrower, and the bending moments acting on holder 102 aretherefore reduced.

The two adjacent cylindrical sections 119, 120 are mounted coaxially toeach other on a common shaft, both cylindrical sections 119, 120 beingable to rotate independently of each other.

Mop covering 103 is again partly wetted by the pressure of drive roll110 acting throughout the width, and fluid is pressed out of mopcovering 103. The squeezed out fluid 106 runs onto an intermediatebottom 117 and from there returns through a dirt filter 115 intocontainer 105. When mop 101 is guided through by guide 113, as shown inFIG. 3, mop covering 103 is sprayed from below with cleaning fluid 106so that mop covering 103 can be wetted and the dirt in it flushed out,then again partially wrung so that it escapes on the right side ofdevice 104 with a defined moisture content. This prevents mop covering103 from dripping during cleaning. Here the control system also detectswhen holder 102 releases sensor 114 again and when the rear end ofholder 102 has passed through sensor 114 and then actuates pump 108 anddrive roll 110 for a further period until holder 102 has been pulledcompletely through rolls 109, 110. Here the actuation of pump 108 canalso be terminated before rolls 109, 110 are actuated.

As explained above, the projection of mop covering 103 on thelongitudinal side and width side of holder 102 is also wrung by thedevice described. The projection formed on the narrow side of mop 101,on the other hand, is not wrung in the region of the gap that enableshandle 118 to be pulled through, since no pressure is exerted on theprojection, in contrast to the region in which the intrinsically stiffholder 102 is present. FIG. 4 therefore shows a solution according tothe state of the art in which only a soft edge 126 of rubber or plasticis provided on the narrow side of mop 101.

To ensure that a projection can also be provided on the narrow side ofmop 101, but at the same time preventing a residual moisture contentthat is undesirably higher than in the remaining mop covering 103 fromremaining in the region of the gap which is normally indicated onceagain by lines on the left next to FIG. 5 c, edge protection border 124is designed, in the region of the gap formed by one of pressing elements109, so that it cannot absorb any dirt and/or moisture.

This can be achieved initially by a design which provides a recess 125formed by a groove and indicated in FIG. 6 a on the right edge of mop101, which recess is located in the region of the gap. Since this gap issmall compared to the narrow side of holder 102, the recess impairsneither the cleaning performance of mop covering 103 nor the efficiencyof the efficiency protection aimed for to any noticeable degree.

However, edge protection border 124 may also be provided with a dirt andmoisture repelling coating 126 in the region of the gap, as shown inFIGS. 5, 6 c and 6 d, which means that wringing in this region may alsobe dispensed with.

Edge protection border 124 may also be formed by a sufficiently softmaterial 127 which is either dirt and moisture repelling itself or isprovided with a dirt and moisture repelling substance in the region ofthe gap, as shown in FIG. 6. This is diagrammatically represented inFIGS. 6 c and 6 d.

In order, in particular, to allow the projection of mop covering 103 torun smoothly through pressing elements 109, 110, stiffening of edgeprotection border 124 by a stabilising means is recommended, which meansmay in principle be produced from any suitable material in a strip form,for example, in the region of the projection. In particular, the fleecematerial 128, arranged in any case on mop covering 103 and present inthe Velcro strip between holder 102 and mop covering 103, may beconsidered for this purpose. This fleece may project into edgeprotection border 124 for stabilisation, as shown in FIG. 6 d. Instead,however, an additional reinforcement 129 may be provided in the actualedge region, as shown in FIG. 6 c.

1-6. (canceled)
 7. A mop assembly, comprising: a flat holder, a handleconnected to said holder, and a mop covering fastened to an underside ofsaid holder and projecting from an edge of said holder with an edgeprotection border, said covering being configured for wringing in acorresponding wringing device; the wringing device including a firstpressing element and a second pressing element for traversing saidholder with said mop covering and for squeezing and wringing said mopcover; said first pressing element extending continuously over an entirewidth of said mop covering perpendicular to a direction of movement ofsaid holder through said wringing device, and said second pressingelement having two parts and a gap formed in between, transversely tothe direction of movement, for enabling said handle to passtherethrough; and wherein said edge protection border is configured, ina region of said gap between said parts of said second pressing element,incapable of absorbing dirt and/or moisture.
 8. The mop assemblyaccording to claim 7, wherein said edge protection border has a recessformed by a groove in the region of said gap.
 9. The mop assemblyaccording to claim 7, wherein said edge protection border is providedwith a dirt and moisture repelling coating in the region of said gap.10. The mop assembly according to claim 7, wherein said edge protectionborder is formed, in the region of said gap, by a sufficiently softmaterial having dirt and moisture-repelling material characteristics.11. The mop assembly according to claim 7, wherein said edge protectionborder is formed, in the region of said gap, by a sufficiently softmaterial carrying thereon a dirt and moisture-repelling substance. 12.The mop assembly according to claim 9, which comprises stabilizing meansprovided for stiffening said edge protection border.
 13. The mopassembly according to claim 12, wherein said mop covering and saidholder are connected by way of a hook-and-loop connection, and saidstabilizing means comprises fleece of said hook-and-loop connection onsaid mop covering projecting into said edge protection border.